Transportable X-band radar having antenna mounted electronics

A Doppler radar system, comprising:

• a. means for providing a pedestal to support said radar system;
• b. antenna assembly means for bidirectional radar communications with a radar receiver, said antenna assembly means including means for orthogonal wave transmissions toward weather phenomenon of interest and further including means for waveguide bidirectional communications with a radar transceiver;
• c. means in contact with and supported by said pedestal means for rotating said antenna assembly means, wherein said rotation means is adapted for continuous, multi-revolution rotation, and wherein said rotation means defines a bore along and through its rotational axis co-extensive with at least a portion of said pedestal means;
• d. means rotationally supported by said rotation means for declining and inclining said antenna assembly means;
• e. means for providing a frame superstructure for supporting said antenna assembly means on said declining and inclining means, wherein said frame means further includes mounting means for connecting said antenna assembly means to said frame means, and wherein said mounting means spans said declining and inclining means;
• and,
• f. wherein said inclining and declining means further includes means for rotationally joining said antenna assembly means to said frame means.

In a Doppler weather radar system, said radar having a pedestal, a rotational assembly in contact with and supported by said pedestal, wherein said rotational assembly is adapted for continuous, multi-revolution rotation, and wherein said rotational assembly defines a bore along and through its rotational axis co-extensive with at least a portion of said pedestal, an elevational assembly rotationally supported by said rotational assembly, said elevational assembly having a pair of axially aligned elevational joints mounted on opposite sides of said elevational assembly, a frame superstructure rotationally supported by and spanning said elevational joints about said elevational assembly, a parabolic antenna assembly mounted on said frame superstructure frame having an orthomode feed horn and at least one waveguide assembly connected to said orthomode feed horn for bidirectional communications with a transceiver assembly, a method for collecting radar data from weather objects of interest, comprising the steps of:

• a. generating radio emissions suitable for Doppler weather radar in a transmitter held by said frame superstructure;
• b. rotating said frame superstructure in a continuous multi-revolution manner and passing said emissions through a wave guide to said orthomode feed horn in said antenna assembly and transmitting said emissions into space;
• c. receiving reflectivity signals from said objects of interest in said antenna assembly and passing said reflectivity signals through said waveguide to a receiver supported in said frame superstructure;
• d. digitizing said reflectivity signals into an intermediate frequency with electronics held in said frame superstructure;
• and,
• e. passing said digitized reflectivity signals through said bore for weather precipitation processing.

A transportable Doppler weather radar, comprising:

• a. a pedestal for supporting said radar, said pedestal having a base at a lower end thereof and a hollow interior for holding electronics;
• b. a rotational assembly in contact with and supported by said pedestal, said rotational assembly including a case having surface features formed thereon for dissipating heat;
• c. an elevational assembly in contact with and rotationally supported by said rotational assembly, said elevational assembly including at least one elevational joint affixed to the exterior of said elevational assembly, wherein said joint defines an empty cylinder extending along its rotational axis and into the interior of said elevational assembly;
• d. a frame superstructure having at least one depending panel, wherein said frame superstructure is rotationally supported at said depending panel by said at least one elevational joint, and wherein said frame superstructure includes a separate antenna mounting frame spanning said elevational assembly;
• and,
• e. a parabolic antenna assembly mounted on said antenna mounting frame having an orthomode feed horn and at least one waveguide assembly connected to said orthomode feed horn, and wherein said radar is adapted to use said orthomode feed horn and said at least one waveguide assembly for bidirectional communications with a transceiver assembly to transmit and receive weather radar signals.